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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · bear · kick · staff · bound · row · kid · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. staff — employees
  3. bass — low music
  4. bear — the animal
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. present — a gift
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. kick — in football
  11. bound — obliged
  12. present — there
  13. staff — a stick
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bass — the fish
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. staff — employees
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. row — a line
  23. kid — child
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com